PAT spokesman Noorullah Siddiqui said that Qadri left for London on a connecting flight of Turkish Airlines at 6am, adding that Qadri will visit other European countries, including France and Belgium, where he will meet with party workers. "He will return to Pakistan after a month,” he said.

Qadri's departure from Pakistan comes days after he indicated a change in strategy to get justice for the Model Town victims, focusing on a legal and political battle instead of agitation.

“We will speed up legal proceedings for acquiring justice as it is not the right time to get involved in any agitation movement,” said Qadri while addressing a press conference at the PAT head office on January 28, 2018.